Re: Flying Interisland
The longest runway at Molokai's airport is just short of 4,500 feet. So yes, when a Boeing 737 or 717 landed there, the moment the wheels touch the pavement, the pilot has to throw the engines into reverse thrust. This is done to rapidly slow the plane down before they run out of space at the other end. I think a fully loaded jet could never land nor takeoff from the islands' shorter runways... so they would fly not at full capacity. Because of that and other factors, the 2 major airlines, Hawaiian and Aloha have discontinued flights to both Molokai and Lanai. Hawaiian last flew to Molokai in August 2004.
Long ago Hawaiian Airlines used to fly their DC9 jets into Waimea-Kohala airport on the Big Island. The runway there is only 5,100 feet long. A landing in Waimea was the same as it was on Molokai. Jet reversed thrust all the way to the end.
Today Island Air is the major island hopper to Hawaii's smaller airports. Several other smaller air taxi and charter airlines fly to these small airports too. Most notable is Pacific Wings. All of these little airlines fly prop planes into these airports. Prop planes can handle the smaller runways better than the jets.
New airline Fly Hawaii will use turboprop planes.. the ATR 72.
Links:
http://www.hawaiianair.com
http://www.alohaair.com
http://www.islandair.com
http://www.pacificwings.com
http://www.flyhawaii.com
The longest runway at Molokai's airport is just short of 4,500 feet. So yes, when a Boeing 737 or 717 landed there, the moment the wheels touch the pavement, the pilot has to throw the engines into reverse thrust. This is done to rapidly slow the plane down before they run out of space at the other end. I think a fully loaded jet could never land nor takeoff from the islands' shorter runways... so they would fly not at full capacity. Because of that and other factors, the 2 major airlines, Hawaiian and Aloha have discontinued flights to both Molokai and Lanai. Hawaiian last flew to Molokai in August 2004.
Long ago Hawaiian Airlines used to fly their DC9 jets into Waimea-Kohala airport on the Big Island. The runway there is only 5,100 feet long. A landing in Waimea was the same as it was on Molokai. Jet reversed thrust all the way to the end.
Today Island Air is the major island hopper to Hawaii's smaller airports. Several other smaller air taxi and charter airlines fly to these small airports too. Most notable is Pacific Wings. All of these little airlines fly prop planes into these airports. Prop planes can handle the smaller runways better than the jets.
New airline Fly Hawaii will use turboprop planes.. the ATR 72.
Links:
http://www.hawaiianair.com
http://www.alohaair.com
http://www.islandair.com
http://www.pacificwings.com
http://www.flyhawaii.com
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